Caliban (moon) facts for kids
| Discovery | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discovered by | Brett J. Gladman, Philip D. Nicholson, Joseph A. Burns, and John J. Kavelaars |
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| Discovered in | September 6, 1997 | ||||||
| Orbital characteristics | |||||||
| Semi-major axis | 7,231,000 km | ||||||
| orbital eccentricity | 0.1588 | ||||||
| Orbital period | 579.73 d | ||||||
| Inclination | 120.28° (to Uranus' equator) 140.878° (to the local Laplace plane) 139.89° (to the ecliptic) |
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| Is a moon of | Uranus | ||||||
| Physical characteristics | |||||||
| Mean diameter | ~72 km (estimate) | ||||||
| Surface area | ~16,000 km2 (estimate) | ||||||
| Volume | ~200,000 km3 (estimate) | ||||||
| Mass | ~7.4×1017 kg (estimate) | ||||||
| Mean density | ~1.5 g/cm3 (estimate) | ||||||
| Surface gravity | ~0.02 m/s2 (estimate) | ||||||
| Escape velocity | ~0.045 km/s (estimate) | ||||||
| Rotation period | 2.7h | ||||||
| Axial tilt | unknown | ||||||
| Albedo | 0.04 (assumed) | ||||||
| Surface temp. |
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| Atmosphere | none | ||||||
Caliban is a moon of the planet Uranus. It is the second largest of Uranus's moons that does not have a round shape. Caliban is also known for its "retrograde" orbit. This means it orbits Uranus in the opposite direction compared to most other moons.
Caliban was discovered on September 6, 1997. A team of astronomers found it using the powerful 200-inch Hale telescope at Palomar Observatory. The team included Brett J. Gladman, Philip D. Nicholson, Joseph A. Burns, and John J. Kavelaars. When it was first found, it was given a temporary name: S/1997 U 1.
Later, Caliban was officially named Uranus XVI. Its name comes from a character in a famous play by William Shakespeare called The Tempest. Caliban is a monster character in that play.
Scientists think Caliban might have formed from the same original object as another moon called Stephano. This is because they have similar orbits around Uranus.
How Big is Caliban?
Caliban is about 72 kilometers (45 miles) wide. This is an estimate based on how much light it reflects. It is the second biggest non-round moon of Uranus. The largest non-round moon is Sycorax, which is about twice the size of Caliban.
How Does Caliban Spin?
Scientists have studied how Caliban's brightness changes over time. This is called a "light curve." From this, they believe Caliban spins quite quickly. It completes one full rotation in about 2.7 hours.
Images for kids
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Animation of Caliban's orbit around Uranus. Uranus · Sycorax · Francisco · Caliban · Stephano · Trinculo
See also
In Spanish: Calibán (satélite) para niños
- List of Uranus' moons
- Ephemeris IAU-NSES
- Mean orbital parameters NASA JPL
